ANOTHER KIND OF DIAMOND (33 page)

Oh she was really nice to everyone, Carissa said. She really cared! When you have issues, she listened and tried to help the much she could and never lets a friend down. If you ask me, I think that’s the piece of her that lives on with me and that’s what really counts. She would have gone places if only she had a back bone.

May be is better we don’t go to work today, Cindy suggested.

I agree with you, Carissa added. And we go to the hospital tomorrow, agreed? Carissa asked the other girls.

Sure! Both chorused.

Not much to talk about any more, each of the girls retired to her room with her peculiar concern.

Chapter Nineteen
 

I
t was yet another Saturday and Wallis lay on his lonely bed reading one of his favorite novels and glancing at the time piece occasionally. It stood at some minutes after 11pm now and from that moment his mind began a race with the minutes because he expected his wife back home earlier today since she didn’t say she was going out to party as usual.

It was an art exhibition which Penney invited Isabel to attend and she had been gone all day long. While she was away, Wallis spent most of the day in his store and eventually rounded up with a long tennis game in a club and now lying down and waiting for his wife to come home.

Traversing along this lonely route in search of familiar objects that will give him the much desired encouragement to continue, took him all the way back to where it all began several years ago and the events that hooked him up with Isabel began to future. He remembered the exact day he saw her for the very first time on a Friday afternoon. At that period, he already made his heist money and living a quit life awaiting the right time to shoot out.

On a particular day he was driving round the street aimlessly as usual when he saw this really cute girl at the bus stop. Hurriedly, he drove to a gas station, parked his car, but before he got out, the bus appeared just from nowhere and whisked his target away. That didn’t bother him a lot because he was sure he will see her again at the same sport. In his reasoning people who ride on the bus do it almost every day. So each day, Wallis will deliberately drive past the same bus stop in search of his pray. Eventually it turned into a habit he repeated several times a day until he saw her again and determined nothing will stop him from achieving his goal this time around, he packed his car at the same gas station and went in pursuit.

Hi babe! My name is Wallis! Wallis Mellows! What’s yours?

I don’t tell people I meet on the street my name! Isabel replied.

Ok! I came here to get some gas and noticed you, liked what I saw and I’m thinking, what’s a pretty girl doing waiting for a bus when I got the car to take her around so I came to give you a ride to wherever you wanna go.

Are you for real? She asked.

Sure!

Got enough gas!

Yeah! My car may look junky but my tank is over filled. Wallis responded. Isabel found that funny and laughed out loud. Looks like you gonna be fun, ha! Anyways, where I’m going is really far. Are you sure you wanna ride with me? Isabel asked.

Baby listen, I’ll go the end of the world with you if you want me to.

You sound determined and I like that! Something tells me this gonna be fun though, so I’ll go with you. But make sure you keep the windows down ‘cause you never know! Isabel continued.

I like your kind of girl Wallis said before she hoped into the car and the ride began. Before then Wallis was dating Susan a lady he met on the street one late evening ‘cause he wanted to feel the void he was feeling then. Eventually the relationship developed into something different when he discovered she was a very handy tool for concealing from the world the fact that he was hiding away millions of dollars in his single bedroom apartment. Those were days he used to fake broke and Suzan was always willing to help out, but then came Isabel. It was at the right time too because in his whole scheme of how life would play out is a girl of his dream to inspire his further actions. He has high ambition, the resolve and most of all a game plan for that future of his intent. And for this reason Wallis chose to start freeing himself from his old unpolished ways and began leaning more towards the culture of civilized men.

Deep inside, Wallis is a good person, but one who felt cheated by circumstances which by other means deprived him of a structured upbringing. He always wanted to do things the right way but most of his honest efforts never materialized to anything capable of sustaining existence. Eventually he ran into the wrong circles by compulsion, diverted his quests to crude means and got lucky too, especially as one half of the “Pirate bandits”

Looking back now, he thought of himself as one of those who never believed in true love, but when he found Isabel, something happened to him. As he puts it, I considered her different because what I felt was not like what I’ve had with all the other girls I used to know. And from that point all he wanted was wait for Isabel to get to that age where both become man and wife and with her by his side go ahead to accomplish his goals.

Is not as if Wallis did not see the hand writing on the wall from start considering the ways of his dream girl ‘cause he did but felt it was understandable for a seventeen years old so he chose tolerance and patient . But It’s been a long patient which today is being challenged by present realities ‘cause at 25 years of age, Isabel would be considered a grown woman by all standards, yet by Wallis’s assessment, she has not matured beyond that 17 years old he met at a bus stop that day. Even more frustrating to him in the present is how Isabel carries on without concern for the circumstances she brought to bear upon herself and Wallis and doesn’t even seem to understand the much sacrifice the guy continued to make for her sake. And what could result from the way Isabel leads her life in the foreign land they inhabit is something of a nightmare to Wallis because the whole thing will ultimately culminate in one huge problem. She could get caught by the police in a drug doing incident or could get hurt or get killed by the same drug related incident, whichever way portends doom for all Wallis has labored for this far. He understands both of them are far away from home and playing on a new field which neither of them is truly familiar with, not even as everyday normal folks but as fugitives that need to play easy but Isabel does not seem to care. And as a man now committed to making all wrongs right, he is very much disturbed by his wife’s actions. Whatever happens, he is determined not to falter again, particularly with his marriage but also wants a wife with whom he shares a common dream and with whom that dream will turn to reality.

Now Wallis remembered his further efforts at trying to save the bad situation in his home. Last week, he talked to Rev. Ache about the problems he is facing at home and he is willing to meet with Isabel and see how he can help. But his predicament now is how to convince his wife to agree on a meeting with the pastor and his wife. Is for this reason he awaits her return since he has made up his mind that the matter must be discussed irrespective of how Isabel would take it.

At about 12 midnight Isabel finally got home and as usual the beam of the car light announced her return. But today rather than feign sleep as usual, Wallis got up, switched on the lights, and laid back in bed going through a magazine.

The first thing Isabel noticed the moment she walked into the house was the light in the bed and she wondered why. The Wallis she knows would have been sleeping away like a baby by now, so what is going on? However she continued until she got into the room. Hi honey I’m back! She announced with a glee.

Good! I expected you home earlier though, Wallis reacted.

I know! But this is Saturday and you’re not working tomorrow?

I’ll be going to church! Wallis announced.

Ok! The whole thing turned out too good to resist. Oh how I wish you were there yourself, you would have said the same thing. This is one awesome outing that I’m gonna be thinking about for a long time ‘cause I’ve never seen so many collections of arts and all of them so beautiful. Penney wanted us to stay until the end and I couldn’t just go and leave her behind, you know, so I stayed. You should have been there ‘cause every person that mattered in Johannesburg was out there.

Wallis though about what Isabel just said and felt it was good enough. Did you get anything for yourself, he wanted to know.

Oh yes! A very beautiful piece! I left it in the car though!

Anxious to see the kind of material his wife brought home, Wallis wanted to go get it from the car right away but Isabel dissuaded him with, Don’t worry! We’ll get it out in the morning ‘cause I wanna go to bed. But you’ll love it when you see it ‘cause everyone said I got it cheap considering the quality.

How much did it cost you in US dollars? Wallis asked.

Thirty thousand grand! Is that too much, for you?

No! No! I don’t consider that too expensive for a good work of art, Wallis said.

Actually the one I picked was one of the cheapest out there, Isabel continued. And Penney said that as a collector which I’m trying to become, I have to start with the not so costly ones then gradually work my way to collecting big.

That’s probably a good idea! Did she get something for herself?

Sure! She is a pro with the arts! She came out with at list two hundred thousand dollars’ worth of pretty works ‘cause she is got lots of money and spends a whole lot on arts collection. One of these days I’m gonna take you to her place to see things for yourself. Isabel spoke as she changed her cloths, giving details of most of the things that transpired at the exhibition before she got into the shower and back in her night dress. Wallis gave her time to settle down before he spoke again. Babe, you know I love you, don’t you?

Come-on Wallis! You don’t start something now ‘cause it’s been a long day for me, okay? I’m tired and wanna go to sleep right away. He expected this kind of reaction anyway, so he quickly brushed it off.

You’ll have the whole of tomorrow in your hands, won’t you? Or are you planning another outing already? He added.

Isabel had another outing in mind she didn’t want to talk about so she simply said, I don’t know! I might be going out tomorrow.

Babe we need to talk and we need to do it now, Wallis now raised his voice to let her know he meant business. Isabel turned sharply, took a steady long drawn look at him before she asked, can’t it wait?

No! I want us to talk, Wallis said emphatically but Isabel was not intimidated at all. What’s the matter with you Wallis? I told you I’m tired, don’t you understand? She bellowed. But Wallis was not ready to give up either, no, not today. Suddenly an idea occurred to him and he said, babe I went back to school. That statement was good enough to give him the opening he longed for considering the extemporaneous reaction that followed. What did you just say Wallis? Isabel asked and sat up on the bed looking him directly in the eyes like she could read lingering answers.

I said I went back to school! He restated without mincing words.

When did this happen? Isabel continued in her reactions.

It’s been more than two years now.

And how come you are just hearing about it? She asked further.

That’s the way I had it all planed out babe. I wanted to finish and hand you my degree as one big surprise. I’ve been doing all my studies in my office and leave my working materials out there simply because I didn’t want you to know..

I don’t believe you hid this from me ‘cause you wanted to surprise me! Surprise me for what? That doesn’t make any sense to me! And what made you change your mind about the surprise stuff now, eh? Isabel continued.

Babe things aren’t going the right way, okay?

What is not going the right way?

Everything babe! Just about everything! Listen Isabel, I want the best for us and that’s why I decided to leave all that mattered to me back home in LA, my mom and my brother to come out here with you and haven’t had any contact with my folks in years. I don’t even know if they are dead or alive right now. I don’t know whether they are ok or ill or something, get what I’m saying. Isabel is all because of you. I’m not saying it’s too much but I want you to listen to me for once and hear what I’ve to say. Wallis said trying to gain her attention.

I don’t even believe it’s all because of me you came out here ‘cause I know something is up with you Wallis, she said. All the money! Come on! You just don’t wanna give me the whole pix. Anyways say what you wanna say.

All I ask from you is to listen! Isabel when I found you, I knew I found my soul mate and from that point began plotting our life together. Marriage, kids and a good home filled with all good things we can afford. But I need you to get us this design. I know we have come a long way considering everything that happened. I understand both of us have done some bad in the past but we got another chance and we need to make it count or we get into trouble and lose out and I don’t want to see this happen. Baby! I want you to start acting like the beautiful woman and wife you truly are and I don’t think that’s asking for too much.

Isabel took to self-defense as always. Are you saying I don’t act like a woman or what? She reacted.

Knowing the task ahead is a tough one Wallis continued buttering the whole thing. What I’m saying is this, I want to start seeing more of good feminine attributes in that beautiful girl I chose to make my wife, he said in calculated thoughts and in such a calm and loving manner that will sensitize any woman favorably. I’ve heard the opportunity of relating with some Christian women through this new church I attend and have also spent some time with the pastor and his family and noticed how these women go about things and that gives me the idea of what a good woman should be. Mrs. Ache, the pastor’s wife is a good example. She is kind, soft spoken and unassuming. This woman practically reads her husband’s needs in his eyes and always makes sure those needs are met. She is available when her husband needs her and serves the needs of her family diligently. She never ever talks back at him and because of that, I’ve never seen them ague over anything. Not for once! I understand that is because she trusts and relies on him completely because his love for her is guaranteed but I don’t think I deserve less. She is gentle and carries herself with pride and dignity and that is what you call a God fearing woman. Most of all, she never leaves her home for an outing without her husband’s consent and returns home late at night. And I see both of them work hand in hand at all times. It’s amazing! Sometimes I try to figure that extra thing they have together which is not in our relationship.